Good news for gamers: Microsoft reportedly looking into skyrocketing Xbox Game Pass prices

Xbox Game Pass has been on the receiving end of numerous price hikes ever since its conception, effectively putting it in borderline unsustainable territory. Apparently, Microsoft wants to omit Call of Duty from Game Pass to make up for abysmal sales. However, all is not lost for Game Pass enthusiasts. The Verge has stumbled upon some interesting new information about the subscription service. Newly appointed Xbox CEO Asha Sharma had the following to say in an internal memo:

Game Pass is central to gaming value on Xbox. It’s also clear that the current model isn’t the final one. Short term, Game Pass has become too expensive for players, so we need a better value equation. Long term, we will evolve Game Pass into a more flexible system which will take time to test and learn around.

The statement is intriguing because it talks about making Game Pass more ‘flexible’. While that doesn’t imply a direct price cut, it implies Microsoft wants to take another look at the fundamentals of Game Pass. Metric after metric has shown subscription services lead to loss of sales. For now, it is unclear how Microsoft plans to make Game Pass financially viable for itself and gamers, but we should learn more in the coming weeks.

Here's how Microsoft could make Xbox Game Pass better

A reduction in price is undoubtedly a step in the right direction, but that alone won’t be enough. More tiers with curated offerings might help, or maybe even a ‘choose your own Game Pass’ system, where end users can select which titles they want and pay accordingly, with checks and balances, of course. For example, one could filter by genre or the hours played on existing games in one's library. 

Such a system will be an absolute pain to implement, but it solves a few key issues with subscription services. In its current state, one can only realistically experience a fraction of what Game Pass has to offer because of the sheer number of titles up for grabs. A limited pool of games will weed out any titles that do not pique one’s interest and give games someone might actually play a chance to stand out. 

Next, completion rates are abysmal among Game Pass subscribers. Due to the sheer abundance of titles, one can very easily start a game, play it for a few hours, forget about it, move on to the next shiny thing they read about online and never end up finishing either game. Fewer choices incentivise people to actually finish the games they’ve started.